Hollywoodbets ad banned for targeting under-18s
Hollywoodbets has been ordered to remove an ad that the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) deemed to have been directed at those under the age of 18.
A complaint was made to the ASA regarding an ad by the operator that had been placed on esports statistics website The-VFL.com, short for Virtual Football League, a competition linked to console game EAFC.
The offence
The ad contained the Hollywoodbets logo, with text stating “UP TO £30 BACK AS FREE BETS + 20 FREE SPINS”, and featured a “SIGN HERE” button. Viewers of the ad could also see an image of people dressed in sports clothing, including a footballer, a tennis player, a golfer, an American football player and a jockey riding a horse.
The complainant was aged 16 and was logged into their account when they saw the ad. They had registered their date of birth with The-VFL.com.
The defence
The ad was placed on The-VFL.com by Hollywoodbets’ affiliate partner Clever Advertising. Clever Advertising said players use the website to play organised competitive matches, modelled after real football leagues. This makes the website closely aligned with a traditional sports platform where viewers would expect to see gambling ads.
Another defence put forward was that VFL’s gameplay format required team coordination, scheduling and commitment. Hollywoodbets and Clever Advertising argued this is more typical of older and more mature players.
CAP Code breached
The ASA upheld the complaint, however, on the grounds that the UK Code of Non-Broadcast Advertising and Direct & Promotional Marketing (CAP Code) dictates marketing communications must not be directed at those under the age of 18.
The ASA said: “Because the ad was served to a user of the website who was known to be under 18 by their registered login details, we considered that the ad was directed at those below the age of 18 through the selection of the media in which it appeared and therefore breached the Code.”
Hollywoodbets cannot use the ad again without using specific targeting to minimise the likelihood of under-18s being exposed to it.